And then there is the opposing view, when you wake up from sleeping, you are in Vegas, and the next morning, you are still in Vegas, it's like GROUNDHOG DAY! LOL

If you're doing foreign cities, I'd recommend

*London (Grosvenor House or Ren Chanc Court are the top 2 here, with people also liking Grosvenor Square),

*Amsterdam (unlike USI I'm a huge fan of the Marriott over Ren; there are plenty of threads dealing w/ both re: Ams, as well as the London properties, so search is your friend)

* Vienna (Marriott on the ring across from the Stadtpark).

All 3 are lovely cities, have a lot of culture/museums/theatre/concerts/parks, and are nicely positioned for day trips outside of the city as well.

Cheers.

Sharon is right about London, and I already mentioned the Renaissance Chancery Court, just a super hotel. I have also stayed in the Marriott Grosvenor Square three times, a great hotel in a great location, and especially nice if you prefer small, boutique-y style hotels, very charming. I have heard only great things about Grosvenor House, though I have never stayed there.

Regarding Amsterdam, I have a personal preference for the Renaissance there, it certainly has more charm, and architectural interest, after all, the Marriott there is just a giant concrete block, and the lobby is almost claustrophobic, but the hotel is not bad, it is a good hotel, just that the Ren is better, IMHO.

I've never been to Austria, so other people will have to agree or disagree with Sharon on Vienna.

I second the Vinoy. The bad thing about living in Tampa is the lack of excuses to stay there. But I do now and then, and always overjoyed.

My other favorite is The Blackstone in Chicago.

I don't want to sidetrack this too much because he's asking for input & can do searches on both London & AMS & make his own decision on the properties should he stay in either city. I prefer the Marriott; you the Ren. To each their own. But did want to clarify something. The AMS Marriott is undergoing a major renovation on the ground floor that should be finishing up about now. The entire layout will be very different & open than last time you were there. I met w/ the GM when I was there last September & got the details; sounds pretty nice & I'm looking forward to seeing it when I'm there later this year (the rooms were renovated about a year ago), and when I'm back I'll update the hotel photos I keep on my website.

And really when it comes to both London/AMS, we all have our favorites. It's not like the OP will go wrong whichever property he chooses, assuming he picks a European city vs domestic or Asia. He's got a lot of good options from what people have posted so far!

Cheers.

Thanks again to everyone. I'm really starting to think AMS might be the place - right time of year, good hotel, . I hadn't even thought of that and now it seems to make so much sense. I might try to do AMS and something beach-oriented in the same week. Maybe Barcelona or Greece or even Phuket.

Thanks again.

BTW - To the poster touting the Pittsburgh Ren - it's an awesome hotel. Will be there for work in the next few weeks!

And the poster touting Vegas - which Marriott property do you like in Vegas? I usually stay on the strip, at Bally's, Ceasar's or Paris, but would be curious if there is a viable Marriott property nearby.

[QUOTE=USirritated;13233819]
Regarding the JW Marriott Phuket Note - there have been some recent reports of not so great experiences at this hotel, when using points as opposed to cash, and Marriott Corp. has backed the hotel management instead of the guests. [QUOTE]

There is a new JW Marriott about one hour north of the one so many of us know and love--check out details including Tripadvisor.com reviews.

Also--for the original JW Marriott Phuket, there are also timeshare units. We stayed in the regular hotel, but the TS units can be fabulous for familes.

The Las Vegas Renaissance is truly a very nice hotel. I was upgraded to a suite the last time I was there, and they do have a very nice lounge, though when the hotel is full, the lounge is full to overcrowded at peak breakfast times. Free wifi in the lobby, and their steakhouse (which I can't remember the name of right now) earns raves!

Doing a combination of AMS and Portugal would be a great combo, there are some great beaches in Portugal I hear, and Marriott has some very nice hotels there too!

Ooohhh.....thanks. I've heard great things about Portugal. Anyone know about any of the three Marriott properties there?

I have heard GREAT things about the Renaissance in Southern Portugal and also nice things about the Marriott in Northern Portugal, both as world class resorts. It mostly depends whether you would prefer Beach and Spa (plus scuba and golf too) or Beach and Golf. However, keep in mind, it will also depend on when you finally decide to take your trip. If you decide to go in March, then I would definitely choose the Ren, since it is in extreme southern Portugal, about 250 miles south of the Marriott, and it will be that much warmer. It will be much less of an issue in mid to late April, when it will be much warmer overall.

I know PHX is nothing special (wife's family is there) and so if you need to stay closer to town than the Camelback, the Ren in Glendale is really a nice place.

JW Shanghai, JW Beijing and JW Hong Kong! All great hotels with excellent lounges, the JW Shanghai and its lounge are especially magificent.

Another vote for the JW Bangkok :-::-::-::-::-::-:

The JW Phuket is OK, but I find the location too remote.

If you like the Caribbean I vote for the Morningstar resort it STT. It's a series of three story bldg's right on a very pretty beach.